Hawing new school board president

At the meeting Tuesday of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, new officers were elected: Board President Camerino Hawing, Vice President Sandra Lowe, and Clerk Dan Gustafson.
Superintendent Barbara Young thanked Nicole Abaté Ducarroz for her service as president, saying, “You were really present, and I know you have great passion for what is best for students.” She presented a small gift, Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food, in recognition of Nicole’s fondness for snacks.
The first action item for the board was to accept the resignation of Superintendent Young. With an effort at restraining emotion, Young addressed the Board, offering her resignation and her praise. “You are the best of boards,” she said. “More than anything, I’ve appreciated that you’ve worked so effectively as a team. I really feel it’s been such a privilege.
When she concluded, the board put the resignation up for a vote, but for a long time, nobody wanted to second it. Two superintendent search firms, Leadership Associates and California School Boards Association, Executive Search Services, made presentations.
Leadership Associates partners Jim Brown and Larry Aceves described their company as nine former superintendents, all of whom are involved in any given search. They alternated describing the careful way in which they work, and Aceves drew a laugh when he assured the Board that should they place a Superintendent, they’ll never come back: they’d commit to never recruiting someone they’d placed.
Executive Search Services Barry Reed, who described himself as a “recovering superintendent,” said that they present candidates but don’t recommend a candidate, as it’s the Board’s decision. Reed said, “You would never take second choice. If necessary, delay the process, but I have to tell you, you want the very best person that fits this job, this community.”
Discussion among trustees centered around which firm would give them a personal feel, and a sense of confidence that they would find the absolutely right candidate for this district. Both firms were judged competent, but sentiment leaned toward Leadership and that firm was voted in. Their fee will be $21,500 inclusive.